Jorge Martin Names MotoGP's Top Two Riders And Weighs Himself Against Francesco Bagnaia

Saajan Jogia | Dec 30, 2024

Apr 13, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Jorge Martin (89) of Spain and Prima Pramac Racing waves to the fans after the Americas Grand Prix sprint race at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

2024 MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin regards Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi as "the best in history" of MotoGP and weighs himself against his championship rival Francesco Bagnaia. Martin and Bagnaia are known for their fierce battles over the past two seasons. While Bagnaia secured the 2023 championship, Martin claimed the title this year and will take the number one tag with him to Aprilia, making him the first independent rider in MotoGP to win a championship.

Martin's consistency and strong performance in the sprint races proved decisive since he won only three main races. However, he still secured the championship over Bagnaia's 11 race victories. The Spaniard secured his first MotoGP crown by a narrow 10-point margin in the final round at the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona.

Speaking about the two best riders in MotoGP history to Spanish publication AS, as reported by Crash.net, he said:

“I think Marquez is the best in history along with Valentino and Pecco is entering that group.

“With the results he is getting, for me he has already beaten [Casey] Stoner, for example.

“And I beat Pecco, so where does that put me? I don’t mean to brag. I have my feet on the ground, I know I still have a long way to go.

“But it’s clear that I consider myself at his level in sporting terms.”

Martin has indirectly suggested that he too is entering that group of best riders in MotoGP since he considers himself on par with Bagnaia. He also emphasized that the value of his championship title in the current era "is very high." He said:

“Obviously, I would have liked to fight for the title against the best riders: against Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez - who is still on track - or against Stoner and many of the riders I watched from home when I was a kid.

“But in the end it goes by moments. Now there is Pecco and Marquez and it was them I had to beat.

“I think in the era we are in right now, the level is very high and the value of this title is very high.”

Speaking of the best riders, Martin recently revealed his wish to go into the history books of MotoGP by being a "legend" in the sport. He said:

“I want to be a legend in MotoGP.

“I want to be remembered as an amazing rider like [Jorge] Lorenzo, [Dani] Pedrosa, Valentino [Rossi], Marc Marquez.”